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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23519323">The Clueless Job</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/D890MB279/pseuds/D890MB279'>D890MB279</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Leverage</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Gen, Multi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 06:54:52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>20,628</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23519323</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/D890MB279/pseuds/D890MB279</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens when during a Murder Mystery Weekend, the team steps in to help their friend, Kat takedown a group of criminals that think they are above the law? Will they succeed or will it be murder? And just exactly what happens when Kat comes face to face with the man she once saved? Will sparks fly again? Let's find out what this Halloween Weekend has in store! Second book in the Eliot/Kat series.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alec Hardison/Parker, Eliot Spencer (Leverage)/Original Female Character(s), Sophie Devereaux/Nathan Ford</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>THE CLUELESS JOB</p>
<p>Chapter One</p>
<p>
  <em>A gentle breeze rustling the dry cornstalks</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>A sound is heard as a goblin walks</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>A harvest moon suffers a black cat's cry</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Oh, do the witches fly!</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Bonfire catches a pumpkin's gleam, </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Rejoice! Rejoice! It's almost Halloween!</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>-Richard Anderson-</em>
</p>
<p>Saturday Morning - October 15, 2o11 – Vermont/Boston/Vermont - Roughly one month since the events of ‘The Saving Eliot Job’</p>
<p>"Listen, Kat..." Bella Thompson began as she struggled to keep her cell phone pressed firmly between her right ear and her shoulder. She needed her hands free to sort through all the paperwork that currently littered her desktop.</p>
<p>She was swamped with work and she needed to hurry and get caught up. The summer cabin rental season had ended long ago and it was now between the fall and winter holidays which meant she and Sam would be getting more rental requests soon for their larger cabins for families wanting to celebrate Thanksgiving or enjoy a white Christmas. She needed to be ready for those rentals. "I'm neck deep in paperwork here that I put on hold just so I we could get your plans for the Halloween Murder Mystery Weekend finished.</p>
<p>"I'm not trying to put any guilt on you nor am I trying to wheedle out of this, but I want you to remember that if every bad thing you are imagining could go wrong and you actually let this thing fall apart because of your worrying... well, just remember that I tried to be the voice of reason." She smiled to herself because she knew this plan of Kat's was awesome and it had the potential to be the best possible thing to happen considering the past month's events. She also knew that if everything worked out despite this latest glitch that Kat was obsessing over, this would be something amazing and quite possibly become a recurring event.</p>
<p>"But Bella... what am I going to do?" Kat practically whined into her phone. "I need all of these roles to be filled for this to work and this latest problem is just too much. I need everyone involved in this to know exactly what to do and how this needs to play out if my plan is going to work. With this growing guest list, it means I need to hire more people to cover all of them, and it's just not possible. I don't know that many people that owe me favors enough to keep quiet about what I really plan to do, and I can't risk an innocent person getting hurt because of my plan." She sighed as she mentally rolled over the guest list in her mind. "I'm beginning to think I was dreaming too big; I just don't see how we can pull this off. I need at least 10 more players and 4 are important rolls. I need at least one person focusing on each set of guests and I've already got everyone I trust involved in this project. I don't know anyone else and I can't hire outsiders to play these parts for obvious reasons. There's just no way. There's too much at stake here."</p>
<p>Bella could just picture Kat sitting in the middle of the floor of her cabin retreat curled up against the bottom of her couch with her fat old white tom cat, Kitter Kat in her lap. Kat always felt comfortable with that cat and he seemed to know how to ease her stress perfectly. Since Kat had been forced to practically stop both her public job as well as her secret job to recover from the events of the last month with Eliot and his brother Evan, well... Bella knew she was getting bored staying cooped up and away from where the action was all really happening. Bella and Sam had taken over the actual physical workings of this plan after Kat was shot and then while she healed, but Bella knew that while Kat trusted them with her very life, she was used to handling all the harder more intense stuff herself. She knew Kat hated sitting out when it was coming down to the final preparations.</p>
<p>Bella laughed out loud at Kat's pouty voice while she could just see in her mind's eye that while Kat was stressing she was probably brushing that cat of hers bald with his favorite brush, a back scratcher. The darn animal hated combs or brushes, but if he saw that backscratcher, he didn't shut up meowing until he was being brushed with it. "I've got it all covered." She said into the phone. "You know you can trust me, don't you?"</p>
<p>"Of course, I do." Kat stated immediately. "It's just..."</p>
<p>"I know, it's just that you always handle everything. You don't want anyone getting hurt, so you try to do everything yourself. But Kat..." She spoke softly as she reached up to clutch the phone in her hand. "You can trust me... and Sam. I've called a friend for help and she's getting the people we'll need; and before you ask, I trust her and her choices completely. You will too, I promise." She smiled wickedly to herself at that, because she knew Kat might be okay with the friend, but maybe not all her choices.</p>
<p>It didn't matter though, because Bella was going to get Kat hooked up no matter how hard she fought it, and she knew the perfect match for this woman; and he just happened to be related to her new friend, who was also willing to help Kat out. Bella's new friend would be able to manipulate Mr. Eliot Spencer just as easily as Bella could Kat. If everything went according to their plan, Kat and Eliot would get hooked up over this weekend and they'd fill the local jail with a long list of criminals that had been above the law for far too long. Everyone would be happy, including Bella and her friend.</p>
<p>Yep, she thought. In two weeks’, time, everything would be perfect. All she had to do was keep Kat clueless until the weekend before Halloween when they all showed up for this event. That was going to be the hard part, because sometimes Kat was too smart for Bella's own good.</p>
<p>XXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXX</p>
<p>Nate stepped into the dimly lit bar of McRory's. The sun was shining brightly this cool October morning, but the windows were still shaded at this hour even though the bar was technically open. Cora always opened early on Saturdays for some of the regulars to enjoy an Irish breakfast or for Nate to meet an early client.</p>
<p>He spotted the woman instantly. There were only two other people in the bar, so even if he hadn't spotted her right away, the process of elimination would have led him to her. She was sitting huddled over a steaming mug of coffee wearing a dark brown hoodie that shielded her face from the other customers. But she had that Spencer air about her that, like Eliot, was just too hard to ignore.</p>
<p>Emma had called him last night to set up this meeting and requested he not say anything yet to the other team members. He was intrigued despite her saying that while it was an emergency, it was not life threatening... yet. She'd been evasive over the phone, which was normal with a lot of their clients, but this was Emma Spencer-Whitmore. She was Eliot's twin sister and she was married to a career soldier. She knew stress and she knew how to handle it. Whatever she was being evasive about, must be important he thought, as he watched the way she was nervously rubbing her hands over the ring-stained tabletop as he approached her.</p>
<p>"Emma?" He asked, as he slid into the vacant seat across from her.</p>
<p>She looked up and then nervously looked around the bar's room. He guessed she wanted to be sure he was alone.</p>
<p>"Your alone, right? I mean..." She pointed her index finger towards her left ear. "No Eliot or Hardison either, right?"</p>
<p>He smiled at her. She was really taking this seriously. "Yes. Just as you instructed, I left my earbud upstairs and no one is here. All of them are currently at whatever home they are using right now." He looked up over Emma's shoulder and motioned for Cora to bring him a cup of the steaming coffee and mouthed the word 'Irish' to which Cora rolled her eyes but nodded. "So, what exactly is all this intrigue about? Nothing bad, I hope?"</p>
<p>Emma smiled back at him and reached up slowly to push the hoodie away from her face and let it fall to rest on her shoulders. Her hair had grown out since he'd last seen her, but she didn't appear to be physically upset over anything. She looked just like the Emma he remembered that had burst into his apartment ready to tear into her husband and his boss, Colonel Vance. "No, nothing bad really. It's just... well, I need help, and I think you're the only one who can help me here, Nate. You and your team."</p>
<p>Cora brought over Nate's coffee and quickly topped off Emma's with a smile before returning to her account books laid out on the bar top. The woman kept a careful eye on her patrons, but especially Nate as she knew he rarely met with a client without Eliot somewhere nearby.</p>
<p>She knew Eliot wasn't here right now, and while the man was very good at hiding, she didn't think he'd hide from her. Eliot always blended into the scenery whenever Nate was meeting someone, especially at odd hours, but she always sensed him close by and right now she wasn't getting that feeling she knew meant he was there, hidden among the furnishings of her bar.</p>
<p>Cora remembered seeing the woman Nate was talking too before, about a month ago. She guessed she was related to what Nate and his team did to help others. They were very good at keeping secrets, but Cora had known Nathan Ford all her life, and she knew what he had done, and she knew what he was currently doing. She'd have to be dead to not have guessed with all the secrecy surrounding him and his team especially after they'd helped her to save her father's bar.</p>
<p>She smiled sideways at Nate as he met her eye and winked. All was good, he was telling her, so she went back to the books and let him do what he did best, helping people.</p>
<p>Emma followed Nate's eye as he winked at the woman who had brought him his coffee. She smiled as she remembered Eliot talking about the woman being the daughter of the owner of the bar and now ran it since his death. During the last couple weeks, Eliot had been checking in more regularly, and he was telling her some things, although she knew he was leaving a lot more things out. She frowned about that, but she wasn't about to complain, because at least he was talking to her and she'd needed that. She needed to know her brother was at least alive, and whatever he chose to tell her, well at least he was opening up and it was beginning to help heal old wounds; and that was all she could hope for right now.</p>
<p>"Something worrying you?" Nate interrupted her thoughts. He'd seen the sudden frown cross her features when she'd turned back to face him.</p>
<p>Emma quickly shook her head in the negative before replying, "Yes, but not anything bad, promise." She took a small sip of her coffee before continuing. "A friend of mine is planning one of those Murder Mystery Weekends during the weekend before Halloween and she needs help filling some of the roles." She didn't meet Nate's eye. There she'd said it, and while she knew this wasn't going to be easy, it was going to be interesting to see how this played out.</p>
<p>Nate groaned. "You are not going to ask me to play the part of the killer, are you?" He shifted in his seat. He didn't have any good memories about the last time he'd been accused of murdering the mark and having his own team think he'd killed the man. "In my opinion nothing good ever comes from those kinds of things."</p>
<p>Emma chuckled at his sudden discomfort. She remembered Eliot telling her the story of how the mark had suddenly died, and Nate had appeared to be the suspect. "No, I don't need you to be the killer unless you really want to. This weekend isn't about fun, though. I'm going to be truthful with you here Nate, but you cannot tell Eliot about it. Parker, Sophie and Hardison fine, but not Eliot. He has to think it's just a favor to help a... a friend."</p>
<p>Nate's eyebrows shot up. "Wait a minute, your 'friend' needing help wouldn't happen to be a Florence Nightingale blonde nurse who also happened to save Eliot then just up and disappear on him, is she?"</p>
<p>Emma smiled at Nate's assessment. "See there Nate Ford, you solved that right off the bat. You are a natural born Sherlock Holmes. You'll be great at this. Just what we need."</p>
<p>Nate groaned again. "Not words of encouragement here Emma." He sighed as he ran a hand nervously trough his hair. "Do you know how hard it is to hide anything from Eliot? Not to mention Parker or… or Hardison? Those two can't keep a secret unless it's to torment someone else. Tell me I can promise them they can torment Eliot with this later, and then I might be able to get them to stay quiet. And that's a big might." He took a sip of his own coffee as he watched her over the rim.</p>
<p>Emma was smiling full on now and he could tell there was more to this little favor than met the eye. Something big was going on here and he suddenly felt the urge to ask more questions. She was getting his interest peaked. He was about to ask what she wasn't telling him, when she reached into the large messenger bag resting on the seat next to her. She pulled out a thick file folder and slide it across the table towards him.</p>
<p>"Everything you need to know is all in that folder. Everything. Just don't let Eliot see certain things in here. And before you ask what things, just let me say you'll know which things once you read it." She released her hold on the folder as he reached out for it. "Everything is in there... your parts and biographies for the weekend, the guest list and their biographies, what's at stake here and what isn't. All your travel plans are there along with everything you'll need to bring with you and your team. There are more private details on everyone on this..." She laid a bright yellow flash drive on top of the folder, "for Hardison to work through. Most of the work has already been done, but I know how good Hardison is, so anything he can add to this would be fabulous."</p>
<p>She paused as she watched him pick up the yellow drive stick and slip it into his jacket's breast pocket. "Everything is in there Nate. And yes, my friend is Kat. That's what you need to keep from Eliot. He does not know I've been in touch with her or that I've grown very fond of her. And she doesn't know I'm recruiting him and your team just yet, or she'd kill me. While I want very much for those two to get their grip on reality and get together, this weekend is not just about them. The people in that folder, the guests on that list... well, they've evaded the law for far too long and they need brought down. That's what this is all about, Nate. Doing the right thing and I know you are just the team to do that.</p>
<p>"That's the real reason for this whole event; Kat has been planning this for months and had to put it on hold last month because of... what happened. This was supposed to take place weeks ago, but everything went into a holding pattern of sorts. Kat's worked hard and because of postponing the event, she's lost some of her available help, but thank goodness all the guests still accepted their invitations and the extension with no problem." She reached out and tapped her finger on the closed file folder in front of Nate. "She's got an impressive list and I want to help her take them down. I've roped Matt and Vance and Vance's wife into helping me and I even have my grandparents, Albert and Marion on board. They'll be doing parts in this as well. But there are still roles I need filled, important roles that I want you and your team to handle. There cannot be any outsiders involved in this, Nate.</p>
<p>"I even have your friend, Det. Bonanno on the list. He thinks he’s doing this as a favor for you and your team. He's working the cop end and is willing to work with us if everything goes strictly legal, which with your help I think it will. You know both sides of the law, Nate." She spoke softly, as she watched the man across from her. "You know what to keep Bonanno from having to deal with, when it isn't exactly... black and white. You know what we need to bring these people down and your team knows you and they will follow your lead. All of them will follow you if you take this as a job."</p>
<p>Nate listened to Emma as she spoke, but he knew she hadn't needed to say anymore after mentioning the guest list. He knew he'd take this job and he knew his team would back him up. He flipped open the file on the tabletop and focused on the first page. A list of all the people including his team was on that page; and their roles were typed out and staring him in the face. He couldn't help but laugh. "Who came up with these names, Em?"</p>
<p>Emma laughed, too. "That's all on Bella Thompson, Kat's friend. You remember her and her husband Sam?"</p>
<p>Nate nodded looking up from the file. "Yes; they're doing okay since everything that happened?"</p>
<p>Emma nodded her head and smiled softly "They're fine. And they've got the perfect place already located. Just outside of Grafton, Vermont. It's a huge old mansion on a private stretch of land with one way in and one way out. Only accessible by car so far, then you have to take a helicopter ride or a four-wheeler. The property is a bit overgrown, but it's perfect for the Halloween theme Bella threw together. Huge stone and wrought iron fencing surround the entire property and no way anyone will get in or out without Hardison knowing about it. We've already posted security cameras in over 15 locations outside, not to mention every room of the mansion itself. And that was a job; the place is three stories tall with an attic and a full basement. So, there are almost five full floors with over 40 rooms to this place. It's perfect and we'll install any additional security Hardison wants. We're blocking off the basement for him so he can work quietly when he isn't performing his role."</p>
<p>Nate looked back down at the list of parts and laughed again. "Hadison is going to kill you when he reads what you want him to do."</p>
<p>"That's okay." Emma smiled. She knew all the roles by heart. "I can handle Hardison. It's Eliot who isn't going to be happy with his role."</p>
<p>Nate looked at her questioningly before returning to the folder and reading down a bit more, then he burst into full on laughter. "Oh yeah. I can believe that. Sheriff Randy Taylor... let me guess - he's not an Andy Griffith fan?"</p>
<p>"Actually, the opposite. He loved the show when we were kids. Loved how the man never had to wear a gun and didn't have to hurt anyone." She sobered at the memory. "Eliot always said, that was a great show. Now days, criminals don't leave the cops much choice about using their weapon. Eliot always wished things were like they were in Mayberry. But we were kids then, so kids always think like that." She sighed, before finishing. "The times Eliot has had to use a gun... in the military, and well... afterwards... they were hard on him. I'm probably the only one who knows the real reason Eliot hates guns."</p>
<p>Nate watched the woman sitting across from her. He felt the urge to tell her about what Eliot had done to save him and their Italian friend back when he took on Damien Moreau's men, but he wouldn't break Eliot's confidence. Nate wanted to ask her what she knew, but he knew she wouldn't tell him anymore than he would have. What Eliot had done in his past, well... that was Eliot's past and it was Eliot's choice to talk about it, not Emma's or Nate's. He knew Emma would never break the bond she'd managed to repair with her brother over the past weeks, and he knew he had no right to ask her to.</p>
<p>"No, Nate. You're right, I won't say." She smiled softly, as she could see what he had been thinking. "I'm a Spencer at heart Nate. I will always be a Spencer." She paused before she went on softer this time. "We can read people better than most grifters, except for Sophie. Eliot was... is... the best at reading people I've ever seen, he's had to be, to stay alive. I'm not a fool, Nate. I can guess at what Eliot's done in his past, and I can see how it's almost broken him many times, but I also know what's best left unsaid." She reached out to encircle her coffee cup between her hands. "That's why I know you will do this job. Not just because you want to help me or even Kat, but because you're just itching to get a good look at that guest list. You're dying to know what put them on that list. I can tell you that once you find out, you will agree, and you won't be disappointed." She watched him as he closed the folder for now and looked at her.</p>
<p>"Okay, Emma. We're in. I'll have Hardison get in touch with you on what else he needs done and then we'll see you in two weeks in Vermont."</p>
<p>"Thank you, Nate."</p>
<p>XXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX</p>
<p>Kat sat in front of the warm fireplace on this cold Saturday morning in the simple one room cabin hidden on some property she owned near Sam and Bella. She'd just finished talking with Bella, and she still had her doubts they could pull this whole con off without a hitch. There was so much that could go wrong, and this was just one in the long list to already cause her grief.</p>
<p>There were too many variables and with all the stuff that had happened over the last month, she was still worried about her physical strength. She had Quinn's help, but he was still not at a hundred percent either. She wished she could call Eliot and see if he'd help, but she knew she couldn't. While her own wounds had healed, her heart hadn't. She would have given anything to be able to pick up the phone and call him even to just talk; to just hear his voice, but she knew she couldn't. Not now anyway. Maybe not for a long time. And she knew Eliot wouldn't let anyone see him reaching out to her either, in case Evan hadn't been acting alone. She knew as well as Eliot they had to stay apart to protect each other. He had enough on his plate right now protecting his team and his family.</p>
<p>Besides Eliot's wounds had been more severe than her own, and while she knew he would heal quickly and he was probably out of his leg cast by now, he'd still be needing lots of physical therapy. And even if he didn't enlist anyone's help, he'd still be doing it himself no matter what. Just as she knew Quinn had been working out since practically the very beginning, she knew Eliot would be, too. A hitter couldn't afford to be down long, and she knew Eliot couldn't afford to be out of commission because he couldn't leave his team unprotected. News spread fast in their line of work, and if it was known Eliot was out of commission, that left the people he cared about in harm's way; and she knew there was no way Eliot Spencer would ever put his own life above his team or his family.</p>
<p>Kat didn't go one minute without reliving that moment that she took that third bullet meant to end Eliot. From the time she'd last seen his face to the moment she'd woken to see Benji hovering over her instead of Eliot, she'd thought about nothing else. Her last actual site of Eliot had been of him bleeding and not moving on that warehouse's concrete floor. She couldn't close her eyes without that image popping into her mind and she was having a hard time dealing with it.</p>
<p>It had been a long time since she'd cared for another man. A long time since she'd opened up to another man. She'd known Eliot barely hours before the man had been able to break though that carefully constructed wall she'd built after letting her former husband abuse her the way he had. She'd fought hard to keep all men at bay. She never dated, she never talked to anyone outside of Bella or Sam, and she especially never talked about Adam or her daughter, Hannah and in the space of days, she'd told Eliot everything.</p>
<p>She sucked in a shaky breath as she felt this heavy weight in her heart. She knew she loved that man, now anyway, but she didn't know what to do. She couldn't see him, and he couldn't see her. Not now, and with her last sight of Eliot being the image of him almost dead, well she just had a hard time focusing on the fact that he was okay. She believed Emma when she said he was fine and getting better every day, but it was still hard to imagine that when her last memory of him was what it was.</p>
<p>She sighed loudly as she pushed her fat cat off her lap and got up to walk into the kitchen. "Come on, Mr. Fat Man, time for some breakfast." She spoke softly, but the cat knew what she meant, and he was already in the kitchen waiting for her. She laughed at the sight of him sitting by his empty food bowls waiting for her. "If you would move that fast when seeing a mouse or something, you'd earn more rewards you know."</p>
<p>Her remarks didn't faze him. He knew exactly how to get food out of her whenever he wanted it. He had her wrapped around his furry little paws. She bent down to pour the kibble into his bowl and let him reach up to bump his wet nose against hers in his thank you kiss. Then he bent to the task of finding the bottom of the bowl and she knew she was now forgotten in lieu of the food.</p>
<p>AN: I'm back! Sorry I've been gone so long, but things needed done in my life and I just wasn't feeling in the right place for writing. This story comes from an independent piece I was working on that was really going nowhere, so I've re-tooled it to for Leverage. I think it's going to work out just fine. I've also got copies of all the biographies I made for each character if you like, I might just post them for fun! Warning, this book is going to have a lot of characters because I needed a lot of people that I could 'kill off' for the murder mystery part of the story. So be prepared. If you need a score card, let me know and I’ll post the cast list too. Thanks, and hope you enjoy this first teaser chapter.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter Two</p>
<p>
  <em>You Have Been Selected to be a Part of </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>An Experience of a Lifetime...</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>A Very Special Event Has Been </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Created with You in Mind...</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>This Will be a Weekend That</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>You Just Cannot Afford to Miss...</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Come for the Food, the Wine or the Mystery</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Because it's all Free* for You as a Guest...</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>You are Invited to a</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Party that is Simply to Die for...</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>It's a Halloween Murder Mystery Weekend </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>That Could Prove to be so Much More...</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Thursday October 27th Through Sunday October 30th</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Two Thousand and Eleven...</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Your Room has Been Reserved while the Food, </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>the Cocktails and the Fun await Your Arrival...</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Your Transportation is all Arranged </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>All that is Missing is You…</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>Your Presence is Requested </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>At Five O'Clock** in the Afternoon...</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>At</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Eden Manor</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Higher Townsend Road</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Grafton, Vermont</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>(Portrayed as Collinsworth. Vermont) </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>RSVP</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Bella Grand at 123-456-7890</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>or email your RSVP </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>(Transportation Information, Game Details, and Character Biographies to be Mailed Upon Your RSVP Confirmation)</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>(*This Weekend is a Promotional Event and is Totally Free for the first Twenty-Five Guests to RSVP)</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>(**Arrival Time is any time after Ten AM Thursday Morning - Event Will Begin Promptly at Five PM in the Lounge of Eden Manor)</em>
</p>
<p>Later the same Day – Boston/Vermont/Boston</p>
<p>"Seriously, Nate?" Eliot asked trying his best not to focus on the images springing forth from the monitor screens that made up Hardison's briefing wall. He could feel a headache coming on and this was so not the type of job he would have liked to do so soon after this past month’s events.</p>
<p>Eliot had spent nearly every day getting his strength back physically, but he still felt a little stiff, and he was really more in the mood to perform his job with some mindless hitting rather than having to perform as some insanely silly character that his own sister probably made up just to tease him with. If he was forced to do this, he knew he'd end up punching something and most likely it would be the wrong something; which if he’d thought about it, would involve mindless hitting.</p>
<p>Nate turned from his position facing the monitors where he had been updating the others on this job. He raised one eyebrow at Eliot's tone of voice before he spoke. "Something wrong with this job, Eliot?" He asked, hoping he sounded neutral.</p>
<p>Eliot quietly ran one hand nervously through his longer than usual hair before he focused on Nate. He hadn't found the time to get it trimmed to his liking and it was beginning to bug him. "Is something wrong?" He mocked the mastermind. "Yeah, I'd say that there's something wrong."</p>
<p>"What? I think it looks like fun." Parker added from her seat next to the hitter. Her eyes twinkled from the light overhead as she spoke, causing Eliot to wince slightly. Parker was happy, and when Parker was happy, someone else wasn't going to be; and that someone was usually Eliot. "It's simple and it's like that time Nate killed the mark."</p>
<p>"Parker, I did not... Never mind." Nate sighed heavily. "This is not like that at all. This is to help Eliot's sister and her friends. I thought you'd jump at the chance to help out Emma." He added to Eliot.</p>
<p>Eliot sighed too. "Yeah, well... that's just one of the many problems I see with this job." He loved his sister, but Eliot knew all too well that whatever Emma had told Nate wasn't the entire truth if Nate thought they were just helping the woman bring some criminals to justice. He knew all too well Emma always had an agenda to the things she did, so either she hadn't told Nate everything, or Nate was leaving a lot of important facts out. "I know Emma, Nate... and I know you... and this..." He pointed to all the information Hardison had posted in front of them. "This is not just a fun weekend to bring in a bunch of bad guys. There's more here than meets the eye. Either she's holding back all of the details or..." He let the sentence trail off as he watched Nate.</p>
<p>Nate had known it would be nearly impossible to keep Eliot as in the dark as Emma expected, but he hadn't thought it would be this hard. Right from the get-go, he'd had to start telling white lies to keep Emma's secret of who the true mastermind behind this was. So far, he'd only told Hardison all the facts, and that was basically because of all the information in the folder on the guests plus the fact that Hardison was going to be the one team member doing more than just the role assigned to him.</p>
<p>In Nate's opinion, Hardison's role was going to be the hardest because he was going to have to perform plus try and cover all the players and guests involved, which were a lot. Hardison was going to be spread thin, and that made Eliot's role in all this that much harder, too. Eliot would have to be in several places at once if he wanted to keep an eye on his team as well as everyone else. Plus trying to keep Eliot focused on not killing any of them when they finally arrived, and he found out that Kat was the true ringleader of this circus.</p>
<p>"I don't see what's wrong here. I'm with Parker, this will be fun, Eliot. Emma's done a fantastic job putting all of this together and her guest list is impressive. I only wish we could add more bad guys and their money to this guest list. There is a never-ending supply of really bad guys in this world." Sophie spoke up turning to look past Parker from her seat beside her, to speak directly to Eliot. "Since when do you question how we take down the bad guys, Eliot? You've always performed perfectly, and I don't see anything wrong with this job. It seems pretty simple considering the amount of people that will be involved."</p>
<p>"It looks like fun?" Eliot questioned her. Of course, to Sophie it would look like fun. Any excuse to attend a party was considered fun for the grifter. "If Emma has been planning this event for months, I can guarantee you that Matt or Vance would have dropped a hint to me sooner or later. There is no way they'd be able to keep this a secret from me. They both have to know what's going on." Eliot continued to watch Nate as he spoke. "And by scanning this cast of characters list, they have prominent roles, so I know for a fact they'd be dropping a hint to me sooner or later. It doesn't matter what's happened over the past month, they would have said something. They know I hate surprises, especially where Emma is concerned."</p>
<p>Hardison spoke up then. "Look El, man... I don't really see a problem, even if they managed to keep it from you. It's a great idea, getting so many bad guys in one place and taking them all down at once. Maybe Vance and Whitmore have been sworn to secrecy by their spouses. We all know just how secretive you can be when your forced to by the government." Hardison took in the hard look Eliot turned on him. "Hey, I'm not complaining man, we all got a past and no one wants to broadcast the things we've done. I'm just saying being threatened by Emma is probably just like being threatened by Uncle Sam where Matt is concerned." He smiled to try and let the hitter know he wasn't trying to pry.</p>
<p>Eliot sighed again as he took that in. "You're probably right, Emma can be like a natural disaster when it comes to breaking her confidences." He chuckled lightly. "OK, I'll do it, but I still think there's more here than Emma's telling you." He turned to meet Nate's eyes as he spoke. The look he conveyed told Nate that if he wasn't being honest with him, Eliot was going to be pissed. And that was one thing Nate never wanted to experience. Being on the receiving end of Eliot's anger.</p>
<p>Nate breathed a sigh of relief though as he watched Hardison pick up where he'd left off on the briefing of the guest list. One Eliot sized pothole in the road to Vermont down, umpteen more to go before they got to the mansion. He silently prayed all would go smoothly; at least until they arrived at the mansion and he could pass Eliot and his anger off to his sister, who he had no doubt would be able to handle it.</p>
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<p>"Everything is looking good on this end, Bella." Emma reported into her cell. "Eliot is way too suspicious, but Nate said he's agreed to the role and they'll be meeting me and Matt at the Grafton Inn on Wednesday morning. Matt will be flying us to the mansion, then he'll be heading back to town to stay overnight and prepare to fly in the guests as each batch arrives in town on Thursday." She paused as she rifled through her notes. "It looks like every guest we've invited as accepted from your email updates and no more problems are cropping up so far. How are things on your end?" She asked, knowing Bella was probably having as hard a time keeping Kat in the dark as Nate was with Eliot.</p>
<p>"Surprisingly well. I told Kat that I had a friend she could trust helping out and she seemed to accept that without too much fuss." Bella smiled into her own phone. "The woman is going stir crazy up at the cabin where she's been the past few weeks and she hates having to stay under the radar, but since we don't know if anything else will come from this past month, it's safer for her there. I assume Eliot has been working on seeing if this is all over while he's been recovering as well?"</p>
<p>Emma laughed lightly as she thought about that. "Eliot has been going crazy too, from Hardison's daily reports; but I know Eliot is probably keeping track of everyone involved with Evan and I know Vance and Matt will be keeping him more informed; especially now. I've been to see him once and Matt's checked in on him twice; we both got the same response from him each time, and I'm quoting here, 'I'm fine. Leave me alone and I'll continue to be fine.' That's how Eliot handles things; on his own. I doubt even Nate, or the others would be able to get past his walls on how he is choosing to deal with this whole thing. I'm still not sure what to think myself." She paused, then laughed as she remembered something. "But Sophie did tell me she was able to get the doctors to lock him down for a whole week in the hospital right after the second shooting. Something about him saying she was like a mother hen I think and so she grifted her way past his doctors and got him locked down as not being in his right mind from all the pain. I think she was posing as me from what I understand, and Eliot is mad at me for letting her get away with being me."</p>
<p>Emma remembered Sophie calling her to tell her what she'd done. She'd laughed, but she'd also been grateful because the damn man had needed the time to heal and if left alone, they all knew as well as her that he'd have snuck out of the hospital as soon as he could focus on one door and even if not, as long as he was able to walk through the right one, he'd be gone. They knew once he left, he'd have gone off the grid and wouldn't have been found until he wanted to be found.</p>
<p>Sophie's way had not only given Eliot time to heal a little, but it had also given his team time to keep him close and watch his every move until they could trust he wouldn't face plant trying to get from one spot to another. She was so grateful that Eliot finally had someone to keep him focused on who he really was. Eliot was a good man, he just needed to believe that when he was told that.</p>
<p>In his mind, Eliot would never allow those words to sink in from himself, but from his team, his extended family, well... maybe... Emma had seen for herself how much good they were doing in slowly keeping Eliot focused on who he truly was. Maybe one day he would be able to look in the mirror and see what they all saw when they looked at him. Maybe he wouldn't be lost to her anymore.</p>
<p>Emma silently shook off the worry and feelings that thinking of her brother always brought out of her. In a few days, she'd be seeing him again and once he got past his anger at being lied to, he just might enjoy the weekend that Kat and Bella had worked so hard on. She just might get to see her brother enjoying himself and she was anxious to see Eliot and his team working together on a job.</p>
<p>"Well, I can understand that." Bella laughed along with Emma. "Honestly, though I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to see those two together and not injured. In the warehouse, well..." She drifted a moment as she thought back to being held captive in that warehouse before Kat and Eliot had come to get her. "Well, let's just say I've never in my life of knowing Kat as I do, I have never seen her put a man she barely knows life above her own. Women and children, even some men who have been family yes, but to see her do what she did to save Eliot, a stranger to me... I just can't tell you how much I learned in that instant about the woman I thought I already knew well. Both myself and Sam saw how she reacted when she first arrived with him at the cabin, but that was nothing compared to the way she reacted to the fear of losing him in that warehouse." She cleared her throat as it suddenly seemed to close off. "I've never seen Kat even look at another man that way. And I can tell you, in that instant when Eliot knew what Kat was doing, I saw the same look in his eyes. I’m really glad I didn’t see the ending after Nate got me outside. I don’t think I’d have made it…”</p>
<p>Emma coughed lightly as she felt the emotional pull of what the woman was telling her. "Well then, I'd say we're pretty much already family then, wouldn't you?"</p>
<p>"Yes!" Bella laughed. "So as big sisters, it's our job to make sure our siblings work things out and see what we all see, don't you agree?"</p>
<p>"Yes, Bella." Emma said suddenly happier than she'd been in a while where Eliot was concerned. "Yes, I do!"</p>
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<p>Eliot stood quietly in Nate's kitchen chopping vegetables for their dinner. He was working at the kitchen bar so that he could keep an eye on what was going on in the living area. He had brought food with him fresh from the Farmer's Market after Nate had called for a meeting about this job. He half-listened to everything being said by his team, but he couldn't help letting his thoughts drift a little.</p>
<p>This was going to be their first job since the whole Evan thing and while he knew he needed to be doing something, Eliot still had this feeling at the back of his mind that was telling him something wasn't right with all of this. He'd learned long ago to always listen to that feeling and it had saved his life too many times to count. Eliot knew Emma, but he knew Nate almost as well, and because of that he suspected something else was going on here than just a job.</p>
<p>One of them was hiding something, and Eliot was putting his money on Emma being the one doing the hiding, and as such she'd roped Nate into covering for her. The man hadn't looked Eliot directly in the eye since he'd announced this job. That meant either something was bothering Nate... or he was hiding something. The others didn't seem to notice, but Eliot had. It was something he'd learned long ago, always know how to read people. It wasn't about being able to grift like Sophie did; it was more about survival for Eliot. Knowing what someone was or wasn't doing that they normally did, that could tell you a lot about what might be about to go down.</p>
<p>Nate was a brilliant mastermind. The man could see ten different endings in one vision and know just which plan to apply and when, but he also had a tell: a major one. When Nate couldn't look people he cared about in the eye and continue lying to them, then something was up. Eliot grabbed the fresh celery from his left and began to make quick work of chopping it for his stew. Yep, he thought. Something was up with this job and the only thing he could be sure of was that once they arrived in Vermont to meet Emma and Matt, he'd find out all the details or he was going to throw a major wrench in all of their work; job or no job.</p>
<p>Eliot had a nagging suspicion of what it was his sister was trying to hide, and while it did piss him off, it also gave him pause. He had a feeling that neither his sister nor Nate were the true masterminds behind all of this.</p>
<p>He had quickly scanned the Cast of Characters list Nate had shared and noticed several names blacked out or marked off. The others probably assumed that the names were all the people that had backed out and Emma needed to replace, but Eliot had a different assumption in mind.</p>
<p>Hardison had posted the listing but without anything marked out before he'd realized it and he'd quickly pulled it saying it was the wrong list; but he hadn't pulled it fast enough. Not before Eliot had caught two names on the list, the only names he recognized other than his team's. Sam and Bella Thompson. The friends of Kat's who had been involved in helping her to help him. They were very close friends of hers.</p>
<p>Eliot looked up from his work to find Nate and Hardison discussing something quietly between them, while the girls sat going over the character biographies. This event wasn't Emma's idea. No, he had a feeling that the person behind all of this was a honey-colored blonde with huge emerald green eyes, and a stubborn streak to rival his own.</p>
<p>It wasn't hard to put two and two together here. Eliot smiled to himself as he bent back down to focus on the carrots next. Yes, he knew what they were up to alright; and while he didn't like being manipulated or lied to, he had to admit if only to himself that he was kind of looking forward to seeing Kat again.</p>
<p>He suddenly stopped chopping and reached out to snatch a green apple from the fruit bowl further to his left. He quickly sliced the fruit in two and brought one half up to his face, but instead of taking a bite, he pushed it under his nose to inhale the tangy scent of fresh green apples. He had found himself missing that smell these past few weeks. It wasn't like getting the scent from the freshly washed shampoo that Kat used, but it would do. For now.</p>
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<p>AN: Here are some of the biographies for you - the Mansion Bella and Sam acquired does not exist, but the town of Grafton, Vermont does. So, it's highly possible this home might be there somewhere. I have no idea myself as I have never been there but have relatives who lived there when I researched my family's history. I looked it up and found it be the perfect town for my vision, so I'm using it. Grafton is a small town of about 700 people in Windham County of Vermont. The Grafton Inn does exist and is a historic part of the town. At this time of year, you can expect the temperatures to range from between a low of 30 degrees to a high of about 55-60 degrees. I'm calling the home Eden Manor for the basis of my mystery storyline and the town is called Collinsworth - a nod to Collinsport from Dark Shadows. I hope you are enjoying this. Starting with the next chapter the team will be arriving and everything should begin focusing on the murder mystery. Also, it should be noted in case it doesn't come out clearly in the story that most of the characters that have secrets, are based on one of the guests that have been invited. An * in their bios indicates they have a secret that one of the guests is guilty of having as well. These are the guests that Kat is wanting to get put away. Warning on those secrets - some may be graphic and/or not appropriate for younger readers, so remember that when the secrets are being revealed after each murder.</p>
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<ol>
<li>Katharine "Kat” (Malone) Wakefield as Mona “Miss Mona/Mona” Ramona Eden-Collinsworth - Miss Mona is the beautiful, but somewhat reclusive owner of Eden Manor, a home that has been in the Eden family for centuries. Her great grandmother, an Eden, married a Collinsworth and merged the two families into one. She briefly married in her early twenties but was widowed in a year and she has never remarried. She has chosen to use her great grandmother’s chosen name of Eden-Collinsworth. She doesn’t want her home turned into a Bed &amp; Breakfast Inn as her sister (Miss Tina/Tina) wants to do. Mona has fought her sister on this, but she finally relents with this first event as she can see it could well be profitable in the future. She relents with the stipulation that this first event is free to their guests. She does this so that she can determine just how good the game of the mystery will be and just how profitable it could be if the guests were paying. She has had the manor remodeled to accommodate guests and opened areas of the home that haven’t been opened in the past. She has her reasons though, for wanting to keep herself as well as her home secluded from too many prying eyes and her sister is aware of those reasons. Mona has several dark secrets she is hiding. She once dated the current mayor of Collinsworth (Tommy) and his brother (Charlie), who is married to her sister; and she is currently carrying on a highly secret affair with the newest resident of Collinsworth, the town’s sheriff (Randy). *Her main secret is she is running a high-priced brothel from her home. She has an impressive list of high-profile clients and she has helped to cover -up several felonies committed by her clients as well as her girls; the least of which includes murder. She knows their secrets and she uses her girls to feed her information so she can blackmail those guilty clients.</li>
<li>Eliot Spencer as Sheriff Randall "Randy" Taylor - Once an eagle-eyed big city (Philadelphia) detective, Randy's shrewd and cunning nature has helped him to spot the bad guys more often than not... but Sheriff Taylor has his own secrets; secrets he would rather never come to light and this weekend could prove a disaster for him as well. He and 3 of his deputies have also been invited to the event with the stipulation they provide security. Will Randy discover Mona's dark past or will she discover his? Randy is an exceptionally good-looking man who had many hidden talents, the least of which is the uncanny ability to perform his job without wearing a gun. He is highly trained in hand-to-hand combat as well as other lethal forms of weaponry. *His man secret is that while he was a detective in Philadelphia, he used his police knowledge to rob the wealthy elderly patrons of the city. He was never caught since he usually committed the robberies when no one was at home, but on his last job, he was caught by the elderly female owner and he was forced to lock her in a closet to complete the robbery and escape. He found out when assigned the case as a cop the next day, that the woman died in the closet as she wasn’t able to free herself and she suffered a heart attack. Her body was only found when a neighbor reported the woman was always seen by her every morning, and she was worried when she didn’t appear the next morning. Randy left the city the following day and while he feels great remorse at the woman's death, he has never confessed, nor has he ever gone back to Philadelphia.</li>
<li>Sophie Devereaux as Paula-Ann "Annie" Merry - The beautiful and demure wife of Dr. Merry, who once held many a man enthralled by her beauty. Her husband (Peter), herself and their niece (Parker-not that Parker!) are guests for the weekend due to having car trouble has they traveled through the town. She knows there's something that her husband is hiding from her, but she is willing to ignore it in favor of his status and wealth. Unable to conceive a child, she is beyond happy when Peter surprises her with a baby boy he claims to have privately adopted. She dotes on the boy and adores him. *Her secret is that she knows what her husband is hiding, but she chooses to turn a blind eye in favor of keeping her wealthy lifestyle and their son.</li>
<li>Nathan "Nate" Ford as Dr. Peter Merry - A successful dentist whose charm and confident manner helps to put his patients at ease. While he comes from 'old money', he enjoys his work and refuses to leave it behind as his wife wishes him to do. He recently adopted a son and presented the child to his wife saying only that he was able to secure the adoption privately with one of his patients who could not keep the child herself. But could he be keeping more than the truth of the adoption a secret? What other secrets could the kindly doctor be hiding? *His secret is that he molests his female patients while they are anesthetized during dental surgery. One woman found out she was pregnant, and she accuses the doctor of raping her. During the confrontation, he kills the woman and delivers her child. He has adoption papers forged to appear as if he adopted the child through legal channels and he disposes of the woman's body. He continues to molest his patients, though he is more careful now.</li>
<li>Parker as Deputy Rebecca "Becky" Miller - Is a shy somewhat timid young woman. She is a deputy for the Collinsworth Sheriff's Department and working security for the weekend. She has been dating a fellow deputy (Bernie) for the past year and she is also the sister of another deputy (Farney). She has always looked up to her brother. But now she has a secret that she doesn’t want to break up her good relationship with her brother. *Her secret is that she has on occasion worked for Miss Mona as one of her call girls. She refuses to handle anything out of normal relations though. She also knows some of the secrets that the clients have and has helped feed information to Miss Mona for her blackmail schemes.</li>
<li>Alec "Hardison" Hardison as Deputy Bernard "Bernie" Purney, Jr. - Is the quirky albeit slightly devious deputy also with the Sheriff's Department and is also assigned to security for the weekend. Not much is known about his past. He moved to Collinsworth a little over a year ago and quickly acquired the deputy job and began dating a fellow deputy (Becky). He seems to be able to move about quickly and always appears to be 'lurking about' as the Butler (Whitson) puts it. He is highly intelligent although he is very accident prone. He wears thick pop-bottle glasses that give him an almost comical look. *His secret? No one knows his secret and he isn't telling. (Damnit Hardison!)</li>
</ol>
<p> </p>
<p>7 &amp; 8. Bella Thompson as Courtney Colleen “CoCo’ Nutter and Samuel “Sam” Thompson as Wallace “Wally’ P. Nutter– CoCo is the slightly flighty downstairs maid at the manor and she is married to Wally, the slow maintenance man of Eden Manor. They have twin daughters (10 years old) who attend a boarding school that Mona pays for as part of their salary. They only have a couple secrets, but the main secret is they are in the witness protection program, because they both testified against Wally’s brother, who they also worked for in his import/export business. They discovered that the man was breaking the law and was basically running with the mob. The brother was neck deep in the mob and didn’t care who he had to kill to keep the money coming in. (Their secret is slightly different than any of the guests. It is similar to one guest, but that is just coincidence. This secret is just for the actual game.)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>9 &amp; 10. Emma Spencer-Whitmore as Tina “Miss Tina/Tina” Christina Eden-Gunn and Matthew “Matt” Whitmore as Charles “Charlie” Gunn – Tina is the younger sister of Mona’s and she is the co-host and planner of this weekend mystery event. She is married to Charlie, who is handles all the manor’s transportation needs, whether as a chauffeur or pilot. He keeps the vehicles maintained and in working order. Tina and Charlie do not have any children, and they are happy with that. They appear nice to anyone who looks, but they can be very secretive and cold if you look closer. Tina’s secret is *she wants to continue with the brothel while opening a B&amp;B to help bring in more money. She also wants to inherit everything and is bitter that Mona is in line for everything first. She knows many secrets, but her main secret * is really her husband’s. Charlie is a part of a trio of hired killers (including his brother Tommy and the gardener Morey). They will do anything for the right amount of money. Charlie has extensive dark ops training that even Tina knows nothing about, but this helps him move about quietly among the manors many secret passages he’s discovered over the years. He doesn’t think even Mona is aware of all the passages.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter Three</p>
<p>
  <em>Double, Double Toil and Trouble</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble...</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Eye of Newt and Toe of Frog</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Wool of Bat and Tongue of Dog...</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>By the Pricking of My Thumbs</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Something Wicked this Way Comes...</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>- Macbeth - William Shakespeare - </em>
</p>
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<p>Guest packets placed in each guest's rooms... The Cover Letter Follows...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>Candlestick, Gun, Wrench or Knife... there are so many ways to take a life!</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Your Attendance is Requested</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>for an</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>All Hallows Murder Mystery Weekend</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>Please join the other guests at 5:00 P.M. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>In the Lounge...</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>A Little Party Never Killed Anyone... Yet!</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Please come and gather to meet the other guests</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>As well as staff, hosts and hostesses</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>But remember one very important thing...</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>There is a murderer amongst us!</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Before this weekend ends, the murderer may choose you as one of his victims! Have you been good, or have you been bad? Have you done something to incur this kind of macabre attention? Or are you just in the wrong place at the wrong time? Only you and the murderer know for sure!</p>
<p>Watch your back as well as your front, because it could be anyone... a casual acquaintance recently met or quite possibly someone near and dear. Who knows who it could be? Don't let your guard down and don't miss any of the events, for doing so may be hazardous to your health! As well as lead the other guests to believe you are the murderer! But wait... are you? Well, we'll just have to wait and see, won't we...</p>
<p>Something to remember, if you dare, is no one is exempt from being the murderer's target... not staff, not owner nor guest. We all must face our past here this weekend... be ready because things long hidden in your closet may come tumbling out! Be watchful... Be attentive... But most of all Beware!</p>
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<p>Wednesday Morning 10 A.M. in Grafton, Vermont - October 26, 2011 - Eden Manor’s Kitchen</p>
<p>"Gosh, Bella! These menus sound absolutely fantastic!" Kat gushed as she sat across from her friend reading over the menu plans Bella had presented to her after her arrival to Eden Manor. "Are we really going to be able to pull off this whole weekend and the food, especially these dinner menus?"</p>
<p>Bella smiled over the rim of her coffee cup. "Yep." She watched as Kat thumbed through the file Emma had made of everything they had planned for this weekend including all the meals Eliot had put together. She sighed as she realized she wasn't going to be able to keep Eliot or his team's participation secret much longer. The whole team was on their way right now, and she knew things would begin to really kick in when they arrived.</p>
<p>Kat looked up from the file to focus on her friend. She was so in tune with Bella, she knew in an instant something was bothering her. She had an idea what it might be, after reading through the file in front of her. "What is it, Bella? What's wrong, hon?" She asked reaching out to touch Bella's hand.</p>
<p>Bella instantly smiled and rushed to put Kat's mind at ease. "Nothing's wrong. Nothing at all, I promise!" She gripped Kat's hand between her own. "It's just that... well... there's something I need to tell you." At the quick look of worry that crossed Kat's face, Bella cursed herself for not speaking more clearly. "Kat, nothing is wrong. Really, I swear."</p>
<p>"Then why do I get the feeling you've been hiding something from me these past few weeks?" Kat stated, watching the surprise come over her friend's face. She smiled then as Bella quickly laughed when she realized she probably hadn't been keeping Kat quite in the dark as she thought.</p>
<p>"I can never seem to surprise you, can I?" She asked, her tone soft as she spoke.</p>
<p>Kat smiled as she answered, "No, not really." She pointed a finger at the file in front of her. "This whole file... these menus and the plans and all the room assignments... everything here is planned right down to the very last detail... everything here, it has a very distinctive signature written all over it." She looked Bella directly in the eye. "Your friend, the one who's been helping you put this together and hire the additional actors we need... I think I know exactly who she is... as well as the actors she's hired. And I know of only one person who takes such pride in getting all the details just right no matter how small."</p>
<p>Bella slowly watched Kat as she spoke. She tilted her head slightly as she took in the other woman's demeanor. "But you're not angry?"</p>
<p>"About you getting Emma's help? Or her getting Hardison to plan everything?" She paused before adding softly, "Or for bringing Eliot into this?" Kat watched the concern in Bella's eyes. "No, I'm not angry; not about getting the help we needed. Emma's a great person and her husband being military will know exactly what we're dealing with here, but..." she let the sentence trail off.</p>
<p>How could she put into words what she'd been going through these past weeks; about wanting so desperately to see Eliot again, yet dreading it as well. She longed to have a normal existence where she could be with a man, but she knew that her lifestyle, not to mention Eliot's, would never allow her to be sit back and just blend in with society. There were too many families out there that she had yet to help, and she couldn't... wouldn't allow another child or spouse to be beaten or abused if she had the strength and the will to help.</p>
<p>"But what, Kat?" Bella asked her friend as she watched the stream of emotions that played out in Kat's eyes. "Emma was very happy to help; and Matthew has all the transportation lined up. The two have been working right alongside both myself and Sam on the grounds and getting all the rooms ready. The two have been huge lifesavers; not to mention Hardison. Now that man is Heaven sent. He lives for this kind of thing."</p>
<p>Kat looked at Bella. She wanted to be angry with the woman, for going behind her back and involving Eliot and his family as well as his team, but the truth was she couldn't. Bella and Sam had been left with this project of hers without her help while she healed up after... well, just after. She just couldn't help feeling a little bit nervous and worried by what would happen when they arrived though.</p>
<p>"I'm not mad about any of that, but I'd be lying if I said bringing Eliot into this didn't bother me."</p>
<p>"I know. But Eliot is going to be here; that's a fact. Put aside everything that happened between you two for now and just think about this weekend. We need his help and that of his team, and you know they have resources we don't, so they will be able to follow other avenues we couldn't get involved with. Like the two agents coming that are with WITSEC. Emma was able to get us that help, not to mention the help of other agencies who are all unaware of your background or the team's. There is a state policeman that Nate knows that is also coming to help and while he has some idea of what Nate and his team do, he also knows they get results and they put the bad guys away." Bella thought about all the things that she knew she could tell Kat that would help her out with the mystery weekend and putting all these bad guys behind bars, that was the easy part. But she knew she couldn't say anything that would help her friend get past the fact that Eliot would be there and Kat would be looking into the eyes of the man who's life she'd saved, knowing she could never truly be a part of his life.</p>
<p>Kat hadn't laid eyes on Eliot since that night in the warehouse when he had been gunned down. She'd kept up with her friends and learned he'd been touch and go those first few hours, but then he'd began to heal, to get better. She knew he’d probably been hating the healing part just as much as she did, because sitting back waiting to be able to physically work again at what they both did to help others was the worst part of getting back on one's feet. But as she sat there, she could still see in her mind Eliot's eyes as his life was slowly draining from him that night...</p>
<p>She mentally shook the image from her brain as she forced her attention back to the file in front of her. "So, all this food is Eliot's, right? And all the other stuff?" She said to change the course of the conversation as well as her thoughts.</p>
<p>"Hardison mostly; he just loves to embellish things, doesn't he?" Bella got up to cross the kitchen and grab the coffee pot. She brought it back to the table along with a plate of pastries she'd snatched from the breakfast bar and refilled their cups before sitting back down across from Kat. She knew her friend was moving things to a safer topic and she was okay with letting her do that. For now.</p>
<p>As Bella sat back in her chair and sipped from her cup, Kat grabbed up a croissant and relished the warm bread in her mouth. "Yummy." She said enjoying the taste of the freshly baked treat. "Well, you and Eliot should get along well, considering you both love food." Kat really hadn't experienced an Eliot meal, but she knew how much he loved food and the preparing of it for people he cared about. He'd talked about it so easily during their time at the cabin. Bella loved to bake, and she knew her, and Eliot would probably be enjoying some conversations over their favorite recipes.</p>
<p>"Look Kat, I know it'll be hard seeing Eliot, at first, but he can help. Both him and his team. You know we'll be able to pull this weekend off so much easier with them and their contacts. In fact, we not only have Eliot and his team, along with Emma and Matt, and the agents, but we have Vance and his wife and she's also military."</p>
<p>Kat heaved a deep sigh as she thought about all of this. "Okay. I'll let it go, for now, but the minute something goes wrong..."</p>
<p>"I know; you'll jump all over me about it." She patted Kat's hand and added, "Nothing's going to go wrong, I promise." And she hoped with all her heart and soul that she felt as hopeful as she sounded.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>Snacking Menu for Thursday - Check-in Time Up to the 5:00 P.M. Cocktail Hour:</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Pecans Diablo</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Wicked Witch's Hairy Fingers</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Spicy Skeleton Ribs</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Fuzzy Caterpillars</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Howlin' Cheesecake Moons</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Mad Scientist Punch</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Spiced Green Tea Witch's Brew</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Swamp Water (drained and filtered)</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>Cocktails served throughout evening</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>Dinner Menu for Thursday Evening</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>To Be Served Promptly at exactly Half Past Six P.M.:</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Dragon Claws with a Rich Blood Sauce</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Harvest Moon Salad Greens with Yellow Tomatoes and Baby Carrots Featuring a Tangy Balsamic Vinaigrette</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Ghost Town Butternut Squash Soup</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>El Diablo Chile Relleno Torta (Vegetarian Choice-for the Health-Conscious Zombies)</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Rosemary's Baby Chicken Fillets Roasted with New Potatoes and Served with a Harvest Vegetable Medley</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Goblin Rolls with Sweet Honey Butter</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Bobbin' for Apple-Cranberry Crumble Served with Fresh Chantilly Cream</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Each Course Served with a complimentary Wine Pairing</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Coffee and Tea Also Available Upon Request</em>
</p>
<p>AN: Sorry so long in updating! Been doing other projects. Another two chapters to come as soon as I can proof them. Here’s more bios for you to sink your teeth into! And thank you!</p>
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<p>11 &amp; 12. Marion Wilson as Rosemary “Rosie” Looney and Albert Wilson as Whitson Ritzy – Rosie is the head cook at Eden Manor and Whitson is the stodgy butler. Mona has taken action to ensure both are taken care of. Both know all of Mona's secrets. Rosie's husband was not a good man. They had one child, a daughter who was thought to have committed suicide in her late teens. Then a few years later, her husband died. She came to Eden Manor through a family friend and has been here for almost 32 years. Whitson grew up with Mona's grandmother and he started working in the family's stables as a young boy alongside his father. He was trained to become their butler in England and returned to the manor where he has remained. The two are friendly and share a common sitting room off their private bedrooms, but they are strictly just friends as Whitson is gay. Rosie's secret * is she killed her husband when she found out her daughter did not commit suicide. Her husband had been molesting their daughter for years, then she became pregnant. He killed their daughter when she finally threatened to expose him if he did not pay for an abortion and set her up in a life she could live away from him,. Whitson's secret * is due to his homosexuality; he tends to seek out young male prostitiutes for trysts. Afterwards, he is torn between his sexuality and his deep catholic faith, and in so thinking he feels he is in violation of all things moral and so he takes his pain out on the prostitutes by beating them. He accidentally kills the last one and he becomes even more terrified of being found out. He has succeeded in hiding his crimes from everyone, except Rosie.</p>
<p>13 &amp; 14. Clarissa “Rissa” (Adams) Stone as Parker (Merry) Hardiman and Jarrod “Jay” Stone as Alexander “Alex” Hardiman – They are married and are both agents with the U.S. Marshal's office in DC that Emma knows. They are recruited to help with the weekend, and it is a surprise to Aaron Adams and Kat as Rissa is a former friend that Kat helped save from an abusive ex-boyfriend and Rissa is also the sister of Aaron that helped Kat in The Saving Eliot Job first book. When she agrees to help Emma, she didn't know about Kat, but she's more than happy to help when she does find out. As their characters of Parker and Alex, they are married and Parker is the niece of Peter and Annie Merry and all are listed as being from Chicago, IL. They were stranded in the town while traveling through and were lucky to seek refuge during a severe storm at Eden Manor. Both are planted there and will be Kat's connection to secure some of the innocent guests access to the WitSec Program.</p>
<p>15 &amp; 16. Brenda (Malone) Vance as Cecilia “CeeCee” Moore and Col. Michael Vance as Wyatt “Wy” Moore – They are acting the parts of guests at the manor to blend in and help Kat and the team with securing the bad guys. Brenda has retired from the U.S. Army, but spent most of her career in the Intelligence Division and she knows that her husband handles a lot of things she will never have the knowledge of, but being former military herself, she accepts that. They are playing mild mannered guests with CeeCee being a boring tax accountant and Wy being a overworked underpaid shoe salesman. They are listed as being from New Haven, CT. Their jobs are to just sit back and protect the innocent guests from the bad ones and to offer help where Eliot may need it if things go sideways with that protection. They are looking forward to the event as it will take them away from Uncle Sam's needs for just a little while.</p>
<p>17 &amp; 18. Elizabeth “Liz” (Bryant) Bonanno as Constance “Connie” (Welch) Wilburtson and Det. Capt. Patrick Bonanno as Wilbur “Willy” Wilburtson – They are also acting the parts of guests at the manor to blend in and help Kat and the team with securing the bad guys. Connie is a writer of children's books and “Willy” is a baker who owns his own bakery. They are listed as being from Boston, MA. Their jobs are to just sit back and to help with the arrests of the bad guys at the end and making sure that sufficient evidence is acquired legally that will secure their convictions. They are also looking forward to the weekend. But Willy has a deep dark secret * that is all about being a serial killer. He tends to pick up different types of victims that do not give the police an MO. He's all over in his killing. It will be discovered later that he was actually killing people who deserved to die really (Think like Dexter).</p>
<ol>
<li>Margaret “Maggie” Collins (Ford) as Wilhemena “Willa” (Wilburtson) Ford – Maggie is recruited by Emma for Sophie unbeknownst to Nate. Her character is found to be the sister of Willy Wilburtson. She knows of her brother's dark secret. She is also the mayor of Collinsworth's secretary and personal assistant. Her secret is * that he is formerly from Boston, MA where she worked for a local judge as his assistant and court reporter; and she helped find victims for her brother when she worked there. She thought she'd ended her relationship with her brother, until she sees him as a guest at the manor. She is terrified of her brother knowing what he is capable of.</li>
<li>Travis “Quinn” Quinn as Thomas “Tommy” Gunn – Tommy is the town of Collinsworth's mayor and he is also Charlie Gunn's older brother. He also wishes to bed his secretary who keeps him at arm's length. He's a great mayor and he once dated Mona, but they are currently just friends. He knows Mona is running a brothel of sorts out of her home as he tends to use her girls from time to time. His secret * is that along with his brother Charlie and the manor's gardenery, Morey, they are hired killers and have become fairly wealthy from this. Charlie is the one who handles the more intense killings, while Tommy tends to handle the transactions, but he has pulled a trigger or two in his time. He comes off as being very approachable and he is great at putting people at ease. He is originally from Little Rock, AR, but he and Charlie were raised in Texas for most of their childhoods. Tommy tends to hang onto his soft southern drawl more than Charlie, but sometimes he tends to enhance it.</li>
</ol>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Chapter Four</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The Moon Has Awoken...</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>With The Sleep Of The Sun...</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The Light Has Been Broken...</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The Spell Has Begun...</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>- Midgard Morningstar -</em>
</p>
<p>XXX</p>
<p>
  <em>When I Look Outside My Window</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>What Do I See?</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>And When I Look Outside My Window</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>So Many Different People To Be, Yeah...</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>- Season of the Witch by Donovan -</em>
</p>
<p>Wednesday Afternoon 2 P.M. in Grafton, Vermont – October 26, 2011 – Eden Manor's Front Foyer and Lounge Doorway</p>
<p>“Wow, Em... Everything is looking great in here,” Kat stated as she walked into the lounge from the front foyer. “You two have really made this house look perfect for this weekend.” She couldn't help feeling like this weekend was going to be a huge success with both Emma and Vance's wife, Brenda handling all the decorating. “I'm really liking the old world Victorian feel with the Halloween decorations.”</p>
<p>Emma smiled at Kat as she put the finishing touches on the display over the fireplace. She turned to Brenda who was working on the last bat of the six she already had hanging from the large chandelier in the center of the room. She held the ladder as Brenda slowly climbed down. “Thank you. We're so excited about this weekend, too. I think this is going to be a huge success for you.” She added as she folded up the ladder and handed it off to her husband, Matt who had followed Kat into the room.</p>
<p>“It does look extra creepy in here.” Matt stated as he accepted the ladder. “Just a heads up, Kat; Vance and I just finished bringing in the 2:00 scheduled group of people on the chopper. I need to go back for the 2:30 group, then I'll be heading back to pick up Eliot and his team at 3:00. We're done after that until the morning groups. Then Harry at the airfield will call when each guest arrives so I can shuttle them here as I get a full load of passengers. I think every guest is scheduled to arrive by 3 or 4 tomorrow.” He took in the look on Kat's face and turned to share a look with his wife. “It'll be okay, promise.” He figured the mention of Eliot had brought on her look of unease. “Eliot doesn't know anything right now as far as I know, but I can tell you he probably has his suspicions.” He added to his wife, “I'll drop the ladder off in the kitchen on my way out.”</p>
<p>“Everything will be find, I'm sure.” Brenda stated. She was new to the group, but her husband had filled her in on their way to the mansion earlier that morning when Matt brought them directly there from Boston on the helicopter. She understood what had happened recently and she also understood that besides the seriousness of this operation, there would also be a lot of personal feelings bouncing back and forth between Kat and Eliot. She knew that was to be expected, but after having talked with Kat, she felt she was every bit the professional that Eliot was in this kind of work. “I know it'll be hard, but we're all here and there will be so much going on, well, we'll all be very busy.”</p>
<p>“Right.” Emma added, smiling softly. “Everything will be just fine, I promise.” She kissed her husband lightly on the cheek as he carried the ladder out of the room. “Besides, we still have a lot to get done tonight and in the morning, so I will be sure Sophie keeps Eliot out of your hair.” She hoped she could accomplish that, because Emma knew Eliot and the person who really needed protecting from Eliot was herself. He'd be right there to give her hell for this whole wild scheme of hers and Bella's.</p>
<p>Both she and Bella had planned to be sure these two hooked up somehow this weekend come hell or high water, as her mamma used to say. For now, everything was on schedule and that meant there would be no surprises, but things would change later when the gang was all here. She smiled though, because even if Eliot was mad, he'd get over it. She knew better than anyone that her big tough brother would be glad once he was here and in his element. She just had to get him to that point before he bit off her head, she chuckled lightly to herself.</p>
<p>As Matt exited the room leaving the women behind, Kat walked around the room taking in every detail just had she'd already done in the other common rooms. She was really impressed with the detail to the Victorian theme as well as the Halloween decor that Emma had come up with. The woman really had an eye for the details; but then again, that was probably why she was a great lawyer. She worked hard for her clients and she didn't miss a thing... just like her brother. She sighed as she turned back to the two women.</p>
<p>“I hope you're right ladies, but even if Eliot is upset, I'm not going to let that get in the way of our goal this weekend. And I'm sure he won't either.” She smiled a bit wickedly, “Besides, I think I'll enjoy watching him pout about his role and what he has to do as a part of that role.” She laughed as she remembered how Bella and Emma had re-written Eliot's part without telling her until that very morning. “I think that will be something to enjoy just as much as putting the bad guys away!”</p>
<p>The other women shared in her laughter as they moved into the foyer and headed for the kitchen. Time was easily on their side so far, and they were well ahead of schedule.</p>
<p>“I think we all need a little snack to keep on schedule.” Emma replied as they entered through one on the kitchen's big swinging doors. “I know I need something and Bella's cookies are calling my name right now.”</p>
<p>The three women laughed as they each grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and headed for the big breakfast bar where the large basket of cookies sat beckoning to them.</p>
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<p>More Actor Bios:</p>
<p>21 &amp; 22. Tracy Rogers as Beatrix “Trixie” Ritzy and Aaron Adams as Deputy Farnsworth “Farney” Miller – Trixie is the manor's upstairs maid and she was adopted and raised by Whitson Ritzy, the butler. She has worked for at Eden Manor most of her life, and she loves the manor. She's very vivacious and bouncy. Farney is the town's first deputy and he is the brother to Becky Miller. He very much looks like a reject from the Hell's angels, but he's actually a very bright and intuitive man. He loves to read and is a huge Sherlock Holmes fan. He has a crush of sorts on Trixie, and she thinks he's cute. Trixie's secret *is she is one of Miss Mona's call girls and she enjoys the attention she gets, as well as the money. She feels that all of the clients are guilty of something one way or another, and feels no remorse when she helps to blackmail them. Farney's secret *is he's way smarter than the others give him credit for. He's brain and brawn. He doesn't have any real secrets other than the fact he knows just about everyone's secrets (with the exception of the Sheriff's and the Gunns), but remains quiet. He knows his sister's secret, but hides it as he doesn't know how to confront her on it, and he does like Miss Mona even if she is running a brothel. He would never become a client though.</p>
<p>23 &amp; 24. Joy-Anna “Joy” Brown as Bambietta “Bambi” Darling and Benjamin “Benji” Jacobs as Seymour “Morey” Macon-Potts – Bambi is mainly Miss Mona's P.A. (personal assistant), but she does work with Miss Tina as well. She has worked for the sisters for about 3 years now and she loves her work. She's very quiet and the exact opposite of Trixie. She too was adopted and she was raised by a friend of the Eden family. Morey is the manor's gardener and has worked there since he was an older teenager. He came to the manor through Charlie who recommended him for the job. He's a quiet person, but only because he likes to take everything in before commenting. Bambi's secret *is she is also one of Miss Mona's call girls, but while Trixie loves helping with the blackmail, Bambi does not. She has great regret for tricking the clients and setting some up for the blackmail. Morey's secret *is he is actually the secret son of Charlie Gunn whose wife, Miss Tina doesn't know about. His secret *is that besides being the secret son of Charlie's, he is also a hired killer and works with Charlie and Tommy. He really doesn't like what he does, but he does like the money. He specializes in sniper killings because he doesn't want to be facing his victims.</p>
<p>25 &amp; 26. Florence “Flo” (Wellington) Jacobs as Barbara “Bee/Aunt Bee” (Bradford) Taylor and Dr. William “Bill” Brown as Dr. George “Gonzo/Dr. Gonzo” Alonzo – Bee is the town's only nurse (the town does not have a hospital, only a clinic run by Dr. Alonzo and Bee) and she also is Randy's aunt. She is his connection to the town and why he ended up there working as the town's sheriff. She is a life-long resident of the town and she knew Miss Mona's mother. She is a very kind and caring person, but she is also a no nonsense kind of person. She likes people to get to the point and no beating around the bush. She can seem abrupt if you try her patience. Dr. Gonzo is the town's only doctor and he has been there since he drove through the town and found it to be very charming. He decided to set up a practice there as up till then the residents had to travel to the next town for medical care. He's a good doctor with a good beside manor. He secretly has lusted after Bee since she came to work for him, but she has avoided any romance and spurned his romantic attention in favor of keeping a professional relationship. Her secret *is she knows all about her nephew and what happened in Philadelphia. She wishes she could correct the mistake and bring the poor woman back, but she couldn't. And seeing her nephew pledge himself to following the law as well as enforcing it now, made her feel he was trying to do what he could. The doctor's secret *is that he knows Paul Merry and he actually went to college with him back in Chicago. He was the one person who knew about how he acquired his son and the doctor helped him with the forged documents as well as the delivery of the child. He had no idea what happened to the female patient, but he had his suspicions.</p>
<p>27 &amp; 28. Vanessa Reed as Sophie Bordeaux and Thomas “Tom” Carter as Nathan “Nate” Cord – both are actually FBI Agents from Washington, DC. Emma has brought them in as well. Both are partnered a lot during their work and are friendly enough to portray a couple. Sophie is a Lingerie Buyer for a small Boutique in Baltimore, MD. She's quiet and very pretty. She tends to be a little on the naive side. Nate is an insurance salesman also in Baltimore, MD and the two are dating. He is a bit on the nerdy side and he bonds well with Hardison when they are working undercover. The two do not have any secrets other than they are there to help with the arrests of the bad guys.</p>
<p>29 &amp; 30. Lily (Meiers) Greene and Mark Greene as Abigail “Gabby/Abby” (Byers) Rhodes and Ryon “Bubba” Rhodes – Abby owns a small flower shop in Kansas City, MO while her husband Bubba is a school Janitor at one of the colleges in Kansas City, MO. Both are nice simple easy people who are excited to be able to have this weekend. Their secret *is they are actually related to the wife of one of the guests whose husband is the bad guy. They contacted Bella about help getting Lily's sister away from her husband and into some kind of protected life that the Thompsons and Kat could make happen. They readily agreed to help when Kat and Bella asked if they'd like to be guests for the weekend.</p>
<p>31 &amp; 32. Rachel (Johnson) Coleman and Bradley Coleman as Laverne “La La” (Lee) Tatterlee and Raymond “Big Ray” Tatterlee – The two own a large cattle ranch in Billings, MT. Both are larger than life people who can appear a bit obnoxious at times, but really have good intentions. Their secret *is they are actually related to the previous husband of one of the guests. Rachel's father was once married to a guest, and he died under suspicious circumstances. Rachel contacted Kat seeking help to prove her father was murdered and agreed to this weekend in hopes of getting the woman arrested for the murder.</p>
<p>33 &amp; 34. BreeAnn “Bree” (Johnson) Hoskins and David Hoskins as Gertrude “Gertie” (Darling) McFlirty and Billy Bob McFlirty – Gertie is the desk clerk at the manor for the weekend and Billy Bob has a landscaping business and was hired for the weekend to spruce up the yard and help Morey, the gardener keep things looking appropriate for the Halloween holiday. The two are really friends of Detective Bonanno and Bree is a cousin of Rachel's and it is her uncle that was murdered. The two didn't know Bonanno and his wife would be coming until the last minute when they see each other at the manor. The two do not really have any secrets other than being there as actors and friends. They're just there for the weekend and for moral support of Rachel and Brad, but David proves to be helpful in going over the crime photos of some of the bad guys crimes. He's able to help Bonanno get the evidence they will need for court.</p>
<p>35 &amp; 36. Bethany “Beth” (Ryan)McEvoy and Lester “Les” McEvoy, M.E. as Regina “Gina” (Marina) Nettles and Bertram “Bert” Nettles - Bert is a retired medical doctor and the two are part-time Uber drivers, just to stay busy. They are from Bisbee, AZ. Les is really the medical examiner or coroner that works with Bonanno and handled the body in the first book, The Saving Eliot Job. Bonanno asked them to join in the weekend to help David in studying the case files of the murder victims. Beth is excited to be able to enjoy a weekend with her husband no matter how much time he may not be available. Their characters are played in middle aged grandparents who just want to enjoy a weekend to their selves.</p>
<p>37 &amp; 38. Gertrude “Gert” (Bertrum) Bonanno and Sean Bonanno as Mildred “Millie” (Baxter) Marshall and Owen Marshall, O.D. - Owen is an eye doctor and Millie is a housewife. They are from Boston, MA and they are your run of the mill normal people. Sean is really Patrick Bonanno's brother and was the cab driver who took Emma to McRory's bar to confront her husband and Vance in The Saving Eliot Job. Emma invited them to help out as Sean was a patrol officer before retiring and driving a cab. They turn out to be helpful in securing the supplies that Bella, Sam and Kat need to kick the weekend off.</p>
<p>39 &amp; 40. Cora McRory and Scott “Scotty” Williamson as Lillian “Lillie” McDilly and Patrick “Patty” Whack – Cora is the owner of Nate's favorite bar, McRory's and Scotty is her boyfriend, and Nate invited them to help fill out the guest list for the weekend. They are not really playing any major roles and their only real reason to be there is to help Eliot, Flo, Bella and Kat handle the cooking. Lilly is an exotic dancer and Patty is a bouncer at a small nightclub in NYC, NY. The two are very up and carefree people.</p>
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<p>“Aw, caught you!” Marion said as she swept into the kitchen and spying the three women snacking on the basket of cookies Bella had made earlier. “I was just coming to sneak me one or two!”</p>
<p>“Hey, Nans.” Emma said laughing at Marion's grand entrance and catching them with their fingers in the food. “Can't help that Bella is such a great baker.”</p>
<p>“Tell me about it. Puts me to shame.” The older woman said snatching a cookie off Emma's napkin and taking a large bite. “Yumm. I'm not saying she's the best out loud, but she really does make me think about stealing her recipe.” She laughed as Emma playfully reached for her stolen cookie. “Hey, I'm older and I deserve this cookie. I have to put up with her grandfather!”</p>
<p>Emma laughed again. “Okay, you win. But you have to acknowledge that I deserved at least two cause I have to deal with my husband and then Eliot later when he gets here.”</p>
<p>Kat watched the two women and couldn't help feeling good about the two finding each other and becoming so close in such a short amount of time. “Well, I can take some of that anger on myself.” She coughed as she saw the looks from the other women. “I mean the anger at finding out he's been duped and stuck here now with all of us, but especially with me. I'm not afraid to admit it, but I'm looking forward to seeing him sweat a little. That man was a terrible patient and wouldn't listen to a single thing I told him to do.”</p>
<p>Marion smiled at Kat as she listened. She liked this woman immediately upon meeting her that morning and she was looking forward to seeing her and Eliot interact this weekend. She hadn't been known to Eliot long, but her and Albert had been there watching him for a long long time. She knew her Eliot and even if she wasn't his blood grandmother, she felt she was. Both Eliot and Emma had treated her and Albert well these last few weeks. And because of her knowledge of Eliot and now of Kat, she was positive that she was the one Eliot needed to complete him. She could go toe to toe with the man and just the simple fact she had saved her grandson's life not once, but several times, she was on Marion's good side. Yes, this woman was good for Eliot.</p>
<p>Brenda watched the touching conversation and was able to fill in the unspoken words between the three women. She was glad that Eliot had someone finally, too. She knew her husband, Vance worried about him more than he'd ever say. She knew they had been through a lot of secret missions, and she knew how to handle those missions with the don't ask, don't tell thing they had going for her and Vance. This woman, Kat would be able to handle that thing as well. She knew what to do and what not to do far better than Emma did; and Brenda thought Emma was good at that too.</p>
<p>Albert Wilson, Marion's better half walked in then and took in the cookies and the women. He seemed to be trying to decide on something.</p>
<p>“Don't stand there old man thinking. If you want a cookie grab one and scoot along.” Marion smiled at the man. She desperately loved this man, but she also enjoyed tormenting him from time to time. “I know you're worried about being in the hen house and possibly getting attacked, but we'll let it go for now!”</p>
<p>Emma laughed loudly at this interaction of the two. “Come on, Pops. Have two cookies!” She handed the spry, but distinguished man two of the large cookies from the basket.</p>
<p>Albert smiled at Emma, “thank you, sweetie. At least you can respect an old man with a sweet tooth!” He laughed as Marion balked on that statement. “But anyway, I'm just reporting in from Matt. He just dropped off the 2 o'clock group and they're heading inside now. He's going back for the 2:30 group and then finally the 3 o'clock group.”</p>
<p>“Oh, boy, I'd better get out there and make sure they know where they're staying. It's all my friends from the hospital right now, but I should be the one to greet them. You guys be good in here and save me some of those cookies!” Kat stated as she left the house through the back door to head outside to the small chopper pad they'd improvised for the weekend.</p>
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<p>Here is the Chopper schedules if you're interested:</p>
<p>Wednesday Morning – Bell and Sam have been staying at the house since the previous weekend and Kat come from town on a four wheeler to join them early in the morning.</p>
<p>Wednesday around Noon – Emma, Matt, Brenda, Vance Marion and Albert – Matt is a pilot and he flew them in straight from Boston.</p>
<p>Wednesday 2 o'clock – Matt picks up Tracy, Aaron, Joy, Benji, Flo and Bill.</p>
<p>Wednesday 2:30 – Matt picks up Liz, Bonanno, Bree, David, Les and Beth.</p>
<p>Wednesday 3 o'clock – Matt picks up Cora, Scotty, Nate, Sophie, Parker, Hardison and Eliot.</p>
<p>Thursday 10 o'clock – Matt picks up Maggie, Quinn, Lily, Mark, Rachel and Brad.</p>
<p>Thursday 10:30 – Rissa, Jay, Sean, Gert, Vanessa and Tom. This is the last of the actors and players to prepare for the evening. The rest of the pickups will be as called in.</p>
<p>I will give those arrivals along with their bios in the next chapter which will begin our game! Can you guess who the game killer will be yet from all the actors I've given? I know there's a lot and most will not really be having speaking parts, but I needed plenty of people to be killed or to disappear while the main characters get the bad guys. Don't worry, the killer is among the 40 given already, so think hard and message me who you think will be a good killer. I've already got a plan, but I would love to hear your ideas! And so sorry it's taken so long to update this. I've been working on my regular book which should be in print by fall. Originally it had a spring release, but has been pushed back due to the virus stay-at-home necessity orders. Stay safe and Stay well all of you out there. Take one day at a time!</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter Five</p>
<p>
  <em>You got to pick up every stitch</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>You got to pick up every stitch</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>You got to pick up every stitch</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Mmmm, must be the season of the witch</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Must be the season of the witch, yeah</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Must be the season of the witch...</em>
</p>
<p>Wednesday early evening 5:30 P.M. In Grafton, VT – October 26, 2011 – Eden Manor's large kitchen</p>
<p>Kat stood quietly in the hallway just outside one of the large swinging doors to the Manor's restaurant worthy kitchen. She knew Eliot had arrived with the rest of his team not long ago, and she also knew he was now in this very kitchen working with Bella &amp; Marion on the quick dinner they were putting together for everyone that night. There were almost 30 people here tonight, and it was all hands-on deck working on last minute details and getting everything ready for the guests when they started arriving tomorrow in the late morning hours.</p>
<p>She knew she needed to help them with dinner, but she was also dreading coming face to face with Eliot. For whatever reason, she was terrified; she knew she shouldn't be, but the fact was, his reaction to seeing her and knowing she was the leader of this mission, really worried her.</p>
<p>The last time she'd seen Eliot, well, it had been after they'd both gone down in that warehouse. She'd slid in front of the hitter to take that final bullet Evan had meant to finish Eliot off with; but she'd spoiled his plan and she also managed to return fire, killing the man. Even knowing Eliot was healed, and he hadn't died after all he'd been through with Evan, didn't ease the fear she had at reliving that last memory over again when she finally laid eyes on him.</p>
<p>She took a deep breath and tried hard to not focus on that image of Eliot lying there unconscious and bleeding before she too lost consciousness. He'd healed well, and he'd been working himself to the bone to get back in top shape, but she still had that image of him and how she'd almost lost him to a bullet.</p>
<p>“He won't bite you... you know that, don't you?” Came the soft questioning tone of Sophie Devereaux.</p>
<p>Kat whirled abruptly, surprised that someone had been able to sneak up behind her, but then realized that her mind truly was only on Eliot and her fear, so of course anyone could have come up behind her. She couldn't help the slight yelp of surprise that escaped her, causing Sophie to chuckle lightly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You really shouldn't be so surprised, dear.” She added evenly. “Most of us here know how much seeing Eliot again will be hard on you considering the last time you actually did see him.” She lowered her tone slightly before continuing, “Eliot has the same fear when he knows he will see you, too.”</p>
<p>Kat narrowed her eyes slightly at that statement. “You mean, he already knows I'm behind all this?” She waved her hand through the air between them to indicate the entire manor. Then seeing Sophie smile and tilt her head slightly, caused her to grin awkwardly. “Of course, he does, he's Eliot Spencer after all. He knows everything.”</p>
<p>“Pretty much.” Sophie replied, but quickly added, “but he's just as nervous as you are, so don't worry so much. He's done well during this past month, and while he hasn't mentioned anything from that entire event, I know how he feels about what happened,” She paused and quietly added softly, “and I know how he feels about you.”</p>
<p>Kat searched the other woman's deep brown eyes and allowed herself to slightly feel that longing she'd had for Eliot Spencer from the first time he'd opened those ice blue eyes and focused on her. He'd had her from that moment, and she knew he knew that as well.</p>
<p>“Okay, then. I guess it's time to get this over with.” She sucked in a deep breath as she turned back towards to door preparing to enter the kitchen. “But Sophie can you do me one small favor?” She turned to look over her shoulder at the woman.</p>
<p>“Certainly, dear.”</p>
<p>“Could you give me a good push, so I don't chicken out?” She smiled as the other woman laughed lightly.</p>
<p><br/>“My pleasure!” Sophie said as she did just what Kat asked and sent her stumbling through the large door and into the kitchen where she collided with Eliot as he was carrying some large serving bowls from the China cabinet near the entrance door.</p>
<p>The sound of the bowls crashing to the floor as Eliot released them so that he could reach out and gather Kat to him to avoid her falling hard on the floor helped everyone already in the room to turn and join Sophie in her warm laughter as the two people finally come face to face with each other.</p>
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<p>
  <em>Eliot's Menu for Wednesday Dinner and Meeting:</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Shrimp Dumpling Soup</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Wedge Salad with Cherry Tomatoes and a</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Simple Honey Dijon Dressing</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Grilled Herbal Pork Chops with </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Grilled Mushroom and Red Pepper Blend</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Baby New Potatoes in Brown Butter Sauce Packets</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Assorted Breads and Butters</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>For Dessert, a Simple Assortment of Sweet Delights - </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Chocolate Mousse with Hand Whipped Cream, </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Lemon Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce, </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>and Down-Home Simple Pumpkin Spice Pie</em>
</p>
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<p>Guest Packets Are Placed in Rooms for Guests and Will Include the Following Information:</p>
<p>*A brief introductory storyline</p>
<p>*List of all Characters as well as description cards for each character and their biographies</p>
<p>*A note that this weekend will be a free play (not scripted) mystery (guests will not be given another identity in order to play the game, they will act as their selves)</p>
<p>*Blank cards for players to list info such as where murder/disappearance occurred, the weapons used, the victimology and any notes on evidence</p>
<p>*Rules of Game</p>
<p>*A spiral notebook for more detailed notes the player may want to note to help them eliminate suspects.</p>
<p>*Notes that no electronic devices will be allowed for the weekend and must be relinquished upon check in time. Allowances will be made for emergencies as well as landline phones available during certain times of the day.</p>
<p>*Remember, even though this will be a free play game, you as guests could become suspects and/or victims; no one is safe from this killer and we encourage guests to ask questions and seek out suspects; but remember others will be keeping notes too, so don't be surprised if you become their top suspect based on your line of questioning!</p>
<p>*A map of the Manor floor by floor.</p>
<p>*Certain Rooms in the manor will be off limits (no exceptions) to gamers and will be marked with black stars displayed in prominent areas. Most of these areas will be the personal rooms of each guest and actor, as well as the basement. The basement houses supplies and equipment used to run the manor itself.</p>
<p>*All cast members must be made available most of the day and should always be approachable for guests to question, some exceptions may arise, but guests will be given ample notification if such an event occurs.</p>
<p>*Victims of murder, will be moved to secure areas and will not be seen by guests during the remainder of the weekend. These victims will be moved to an area that will be off limits as stated above. (If you wish not to become a victim, please note this on the enclosed note card for this purpose and return to front desk prior to Thursday evening's kickoff.)  </p>
<p>*Breakfast and Lunch meals are leisure attire, while Cocktail and Dinner will be semi-formal attire (please use your best judgment and have fun with this!) Your table assignments are attached to your spirals and will remain the same throughout the weekend.</p>
<p>*Morning coffee trays will be delivered outside your room door after 6 AM</p>
<p>*Breakfast will be buffet style served in Sunroom from 7 AM – 8:30 AM</p>
<p>*AM Snacks will be laid out in Sunroom from 10 AM – 11 AM</p>
<p>*Lunch will be buffet style served in Sunroom from 11:45 AM – 1:15 PM</p>
<p>*Mid-Day Snacks will be laid out in Sunroom from 3 PM – 4 PM</p>
<p>*Evening Cocktails will be served in the Front Parlor from 5 PM – 6 PM</p>
<p>*Dinner is formal and will be served in the front Dining Room from 7 PM – 8:30 PM</p>
<p>* Light packaged evening snacks will be delivered outside your room door after 9 PM</p>
<p>*Brief letter thanking everyone for their participation and encouraging everyone to enjoy the weekend along with a statement of legalities along with forms to be signed and returned to front desk absolving the Inn from any liability due to a guest's decisions.</p>
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<p>Kat couldn't help the butterflies that were going wild inside her as she once again found herself staring into Eliot's sky blue eyes and seeing his beautiful long hair sweep loose from the band he'd used to pull it back while preparing dinner. She swallowed hard as she saw the raw look of something akin to longing (she hoped anyway) flash through those eyes before they became neutral in his response to holding onto her as she was half held and half sprawled just inside the kitchen.</p>
<p>She felt the rock-hard grip he had on her and as she gently tried to right herself, she felt the hard resistance of that grip before he reluctantly allowed her to use his embrace to right herself. She smiled softly hoping his tight grip meant he wanted to continue holding her and not that he was angry with her for disappearing on him.</p>
<p>He helped her to right herself and as she took a step back from him, she felt his arms hesitate slightly before he pulled back from her. “Hello, Eliot.” She spoke quietly, avoiding contact after his release.</p>
<p>Eliot Spencer looked at the woman in front of him. At first, he'd known he would be unable to hide the instant feeling of wanting to hold onto her forever, but then he had tried to tamp that down as he helped her to gain her footing. He knew she felt the reluctance he had of letting her go, but he knew he had to. They had witnesses here in the kitchen and he knew Kat knew that the two of them would have to discuss things privately later. Neither of them needed to encourage their family or friends before they themselves dealt with their feelings.</p>
<p>On one hand Eliot wanted to sweep her up and find some hidden corner where the two of them could be together, and on the other hand he wanted to keep his distance. She had up and disappeared on him after he was shot that last time, and while he owed his life to her multiple times, she'd also been the one to cause him to lose focus on what he'd needed to do. He didn't blame her for saving his life that last time, but he'd been prepared for Evan to finish him so his team would be safe; so Eliot's family would be safe; and so Kat and her family would be safe as well. He'd been prepared to die so they could all live; and then this irritable annoying woman and ran in like a superhero and refused to let that happen.</p>
<p>Because of that, he'd had to face a lot of things during his recovery. The fact he was vulnerable had been the hardest thing Eliot had faced during the past weeks. He had let himself be taken by Evan in the first place. He hadn't seen it coming until it was too late and then when he woke up and found Kat there, his past with Evan was just part of what came to him. He'd had to relive the loss of her brother on his watch as well. Eliot had had to face a lot of his demons and he was still trying to deal with all of that.</p>
<p>Then when he'd known what this weekend meant; he had hated coming while at the same time he'd longed to be here. He didn't want to face anymore memories of his past, but he also wanted to see Kat again. The hardest part of all the preparations for this moment was the longing he felt and the fear of all those memories flooding back. But now as he looked into her emerald eyes, all he saw was the woman who had told him her every secret, her every fear and her every triumph over her own past. All he saw when he looked at Kat was just how much she had fought to be here... and how much she had longed for him.</p>
<p>Yes, he'd seen the same longing cross her features when he had held her just now. She'd missed him as much as he had missed her. He slowly smiled as he gently reached out and tucked a stray strand of her honey-colored hair behind an ear, and he leaned in to whisper in that ear. “Later, woman. We will talk later.”</p>
<p>Kat looked at him in surprise as he pulled away and moved to grab the trashcan to begin picking up the broken glass from the bowls. She stood there for a full five seconds, before she bent down to help him pick up the mess as well. While the two were bent over their task, they neglected to notice the looks that passed between Sophie, Bella and Marion.</p>
<p>“Everything good over there you two?” Bella asked from her position at the stove as she checked on the vegetables Eliot had been grilling on the grill pan. “I think these vegetables are ready to be pulled, Eliot. Want me to get them?” She singsonged as she smiled at the two still bent over the mess on the floor.</p>
<p>Eliot and Kat looked up to find the women all leaning against something and watching them. Kat was surprised at first but slowing smiled as she watched Bella wink at her. Eliot caught the wink and turned to look Kat in the eye. “Who are we kidding here?” He smiled and reached out a hand to gently cup the back of her neck and pull her gently into a light kiss.</p>
<p>As Kat closed her eyes and felt Eliot's lips on hers, she couldn't stop the butterflies in her stomach from now doing somersaults and jumping jacks. She felt like a teenager. As she enjoyed that brief kiss, she couldn't help feeling like things were about to get very interesting before this weekend was over. As they parted lips amongst the cheers of the other women, Kat whispered, “No one, Mister Macho Man, no one.”</p>
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<p>Real Guest Biographies:</p>
<p>1 &amp; 2. Joseph “Joe” and James Petronelli – Are brothers from Boston. Joe is a dentist and James is an architect. Both are in their early 30s and single; James is divorced. Their father, Anthony, is a Boston judge who handles child custody cases. The judge is good friends with Sam and Bella Thompson, and they are the ones who issued an invite for the two brothers. Neither have any evil secrets nor are strictly here as true guests. However, they do have other secrets, and perhaps they will be discovered this weekend.</p>
<p>3 &amp; 4. Pamela “Pam” and Teresa “Terry” Fielding – Are adopted sisters from Salem, MA. Pam is a pharmacist and Terry is a realtor. Both are in their early 30s and single. Their parents were close friends of Bella before she met Sam and she helped raise them after their parents died in a car crash when the girls were in high school. Neither have any evil secrets, but they do know a secret of one of the other guests and they have told Bella who forwarded to Kat. They are their because they can help testify against the other guest and look forward to helping in any way they can.</p>
<p>5 &amp; 6. Miles and Moira (Davis) Mason – Couple in their mid-60s from Bethesda, MD. Miles is a retired Naval Cmdr. and physician. He is originally from Virginia, and Moira is from Connecticut. Moira is rich with old family money, and Miles is her second husband and they have been married almost 35 years now. Her first husband was in the Navy as well but died from kidney failure in his late 20s. Kat has kept track of these two over the years and recent events in their lives has led Kat to see that they are invited to this weekend. Kat went to college with Moira's son, Roger, but Moira has never met Kat before. Moira had two sons prior to her marriage to Miles while he has no children but did have a brief marriage that ended in divorce early on. Milers is a very abrupt military trained man with an A-Type personality, while Moira appears to be the dutiful wife. But both hide their identities well. They have a very deep dark secret that affects everyone in the family and Kat plans to seek some retribution for Roger by taking one of these two down.</p>
<p>6, 7 &amp; 8. Jannette “Jan McAnally, Randall “Rand” McAnally &amp; Richard “Richie” McAnally – Mother and her two sons from Elkins, VT where they own a recreational park. In the summer it is skateboarding and skating, while winter they have snowboarding and skiing. They are originally from Dallas area of TX (Now a suburb called Red Oak). Rand is about 30 and Richie is about 23. Jan is in her early 50s &amp; widowed and has 3 other sons still in the Dallas area, but estranged from her and her other two sons. Rand is the oldest and he is a true 'Mama's Boy' while Richie is the youngest and is extremely easy to manipulate. They have a dark secret, that involved a close friend of Sam's. He had Bella and Kat invite them so that they could be taken down as well. Their secrets have affected a lot of people and caused a lot of damage to a lot of families between Texas and Vermont. They have become quite wealthy, possibly from the success of their recreational park, but perhaps there are other reasons for their being so flush with cash. Can you figure out who is handling their secrets?</p>
<ol>
<li>Christopher “Chris” Baxter – is a Las Vegas homicide detective who is formerly from Columbus, OH. He is very dedicated to his job. He is married, but his wife was unable to join him during the weekend. He was raised in foster homes most of his life, and as far as he knows he was an only child. He's in his mid-30s and has two small daughters. He has many secrets, the least of which is he's not a good husband and tends to cheat on his wife a lot. What he does not know is that his wife tends to cheat on him as well. But he does hold one secret that involves some horrible events taking place not too long ago. He was invited my Marion and Albert.</li>
</ol>
<p>10 &amp; 11. Mavis (Jones) (Martin) Johnson &amp; Brandy Martin – A mother and her daughter from Portland, ME. They are originally from Westboro, MA then Colorado Springs, CO. Mavis is late 40s &amp; she's been married multiple times, at least 3 times. Brandy is 21 years old and is easily manipulated by her mother. Mavis' first husband is Brandy's father, and he dies from a heart attack after heavy exercise. He was very into bodybuilding. Her second husband, not much is known, but it's said she divorced him shortly after the marriage, because he was abusive to Brandy. Her third husband, that she had barely been married to for six months, was shot and killed in a mugging in Colorado. They were invited by Emma who knows Mavis' third husband's oldest daughter.</p>
<p>12 &amp; 13. Stuart “Stu” and Barbara “Barb” (Grimes) Abrams – A middle aged, 50s, couple from Little Rock, AR. Stuart is a retired Baptist Minister and Barb is a retired School Teacher. They have 2 children, a son and a daughter with 4 grandchildren. They appear to be caring nice people who deeply care about everyone they meet. But looks can be deceiving. They have secrets, long buried secrets. They were invited by Quinn.</p>
<p>14, 15 &amp; 16. Eli &amp; Violet “Vi” (Meiers) Evergreen with Ethan Evergreen – Eli and Vi are married and in their late 30s – early 40s. Eli is a law professor at a prominent college and Vi is a housewife. Ethan is Eli's brother, and he is mentally challenged, having been born with down's syndrome. They are from Lawrence, KS. They have only one disturbing secret. Eli is very charismatic, and Ethan has a very impressive memory. They are invited by Bella for Detective Bonanno.</p>
<p>17, 18 &amp; 19 – Angela “Angie” Washington-Tate, Deborah “Debbie” &amp; DeeAnna “Dee Dee” Washington – A mother and her two daughters from Washington, DC. They are wealthy and they appear to run a respectable celebrity magazine in a very political part of the world. Angie is in her mid-40s, Debbie and Dee Dee are twins and are in their early 20s. Angie harbors some harsh secrets and it's Clarissa who has asked that they be invited for the weekend.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>20 &amp; 21. Steven “Steve” and Gretchen Wylie – Is a couple in their early 40s from Boston MA. Gretchen is a private school counselor while her husband Steve is the school's girls’ soccer coach. They are widely respected and into a lot of things to do for fun. They are very athletic and travel quite a bit. They love doing new and exciting things. They never had children, but they have done a lot of things in their life together. Joy has invited them.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>*AN: This completes all character and guest biographies and I know it's a lot, but most roles are just for the game and may not ever become a serious part of the story. I need plenty of people to remove from the game via victims and law enforcement. Most of the agents will leave the game with every guest that is removed from the game during the weekend. OK next chapter will begin our first murder! Who will it be? Read carefully for all the clues that can lead to the killer and remember to enjoy and submit those reviews. Remember to stay safe during this serious time in our world.</p>
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